How to Make a Species
This is a page on tips and information on how to make a species. This is specifically for monsters as humans have not shown to have other types of species in Undertale and so far there seems to be only monsters, humans, and robots (where sentient robots seem to need an actual SOUL to work). It's also best if you check out the Page Guidelines first. Step One: Conceptualizing First thing to do before you make a species (page) is to get an idea of what type of species will they be. Will they be a species based on animals, or maybe a demonic species. Will they be angelic, or look like they came out of the Cthulhu mythos. The best thing to think about though is "Do they fit into this universe?" and "Has it been shown that a creature like this could be possible?". If your species seems to be godly or bordering on being Boss Monsters (if they are not already) probably means your oc doesn't fit. Be sure to give your species weaknesses so they don't seem like a species of Mary Sues. Next, what is their culture like? Do they have a similar culture to humans, or a culture unique to their own kind? Do they praise a god, if so, probably leave it ambiguous to whether the god is real or not. What do their species do for free time, or what sort of jobs do they have? Are they all childish and cute, or wise and mature? Maybe they even have a mix of personality traits too. Lastly, think about the role they have in the universe. Do they do anything major or have a big part to play in the lore of Undertale? Perhaps they don't do much in the lore and they aren't heard of much. Your species shouldn't be a major part though, such as being Boss Monsters who have as much power as Asgore, or reality warping monsters. Keep it simple, but unique. This is important, but question if you want others to use your species or not. If your species is pretty generic or has already been created before (actual bird species, anthropomorphic objects, whatever) then you should probably keep it open if you're not doing anything new with it. In fact, you should probably not make the page if it's already been done and it's not something you came up with originally. Second Step: Page Formatting Just look at other's pages all over the wiki for formatting tips. (Taken from the How to Write an Original Character page:) Bold can be used to show off important text. Italics can be used for unique text, or add emphasis to words. Underline, similar to bold, is used to show off important text. There's also strikethrough in a menu right next to the bold and italic buttons. It's for you to write things you regret but still want to show for some reason. If you don't know, you can also make headings and sub-headings. Headings are like a new "chapter" in making articles, or can be used as categories for sub-headings. Sub-headings are like headings, but smaller, and thus, like a page in a book, as apposed to a chapter. These pages are usually stored within a chapter. Also be sure to use good grammar, spelling, and sentence structure since it can make it confusing for some to read your page if they don't understand your meaning. Third Step: Content For a simple way to format your page and get everything detailed, I suggest: Description * A summary of the species, their appearance, and possibly their personalities. A place to just give general information where needed. Possibly a place to add where your species is from and how they came to be. Culture * Religion, language, personalities, jobs, habits, etc. This could also be a place to give background on how your species came to be and where they are from. Magic/Skills * Are they good at smelling and jumping, or are they able to control fire? Maybe they can have a mix of multiple abilities, or maybe they don't have anything spectacular about them. Try to avoid (potentially) op abilities like reality warping, death manipulation, SOUL sucking, etc. Also think about weaknesses too. Types * If there are races and different types of your species. This can also be a good place to put page links to character who are that species. Trivia * Where you got the ideas and inspiration, this isn't completely necessary, but can help avoid people saying you're stealing from mythology or something when you're actually taking inspiration from it. Credit * Also a place to put where you got ideas and inspiration or if you got help on making a species There are other ways you can do it too, but this is just a way if you want to be extremely detailed in your approach to making a species. Tips on Being Unique There are many ways and resources for you to make a unique species. Think about what made you want to make one, and how to add a new spin to that idea. Maybe you were inspired by an anime you saw about cat girl. But wait, those girls look too human and could actually be taken as one because of that reason. Well, why not take inspiration from a comic you read where if they shave, they could pass as human, but their paw-like hands, cat ears, eyes, and everything else points to them being a monster. It's also good to check out other species' and ocs' articles to make sure your species doesn't come off as stealing ideas. If there are a lot of bird ocs, maybe don't make a species surrounded by that. If there are many robots, it's best if you had something VERY unique to your robots to not look bland. This also applies to species and characters outside of this wiki. Again, from How to Write an Original Character, this is also very important to remember: "Uniqueness does have a limit and can result in a Mary Sue. See "How to Avoid Cliches": Category:Guidelines